PDA

View Full Version : New Commissioner is...



Muskie
06-01-2008, 09:26 PM
From the Local Philadelphia Papers (http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/19441029.html)

"Bernadette McGlade, the associate commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1997, will be introduced as the Atlantic 10's new commissioner tomorrow at a Center City news conference, the Daily News has learned.

She succeeds Linda Bruno, who announced her resignation in December after 13 years on the job. Associate commissioner Ray Cella, who was not a candidate for the position, has been the interim commissioner since April.

McGlade becomes the fifth commissioner in the A-10's 32-year history."

Muskie
06-01-2008, 09:26 PM
Her claim to fame:

"It's no secret that many folks within the A-10 weren't happy with the TV contracts that were put in place the last few years. McGlade participated on an eight-person NCAA TV Negotiating Committee that secured the largest TV contract for any sporting event ($6.2 billion) from both CBS and ESPN."

GuyFawkes38
06-01-2008, 09:54 PM
Her claim to fame:

"It's no secret that many folks within the A-10 weren't happy with the TV contracts that were put in place the last few years. McGlade participated on an eight-person NCAA TV Negotiating Committee that secured the largest TV contract for any sporting event ($6.2 billion) from both CBS and ESPN."

Hmmm, it's true that the current TV situation with most A 10 teams is troublesome.

But on the other hand, I'm happy with the current situation with X's TV coverage. So I have mixed feelings.

Muskie
06-01-2008, 09:58 PM
Hmmm, it's true that the current TV situation with most A 10 teams is troublesome.

But on the other hand, I'm happy with the current situation with X's TV coverage. So I have mixed feelings.

I'm just wondering if it's an achievement to get the ACC a tv deal with ESPN and CBS? How tough a task could that have been?

Ledantwan
06-01-2008, 10:07 PM
I'm just wondering if it's an achievement to get the ACC a tv deal with ESPN and CBS? How tough a task could that have been?

Actually, it looks like it was the NCAA tournament deal with CBS that she was involved in negotiating.

AdamtheFlyer
06-01-2008, 10:10 PM
I'm just wondering if it's an achievement to get the ACC a tv deal with ESPN and CBS? How tough a task could that have been?

It wasn't just the ACC, all of NCAA. It may seem like that kind of deal is easy, but it's not. ANd think of it like this; she has great experience being the desired. She knows what that side looks for, and hopefully learned how to market to that.

She's really just in a sales and marketing position. The schools do the work, she just has to put a shiny bow on the good, while deflecting attention from the bad.

wkrq59
06-02-2008, 12:18 AM
Anyone concerned about the fact she's from Philadelphia so the same old BS continues??
Is there an inbred bias in favor of the three Philadelphia schools?
This conference can not stand or even consider tolerating a blind eye toward those three schools and their obvious faults.
LaSalle should be on probation immediately. Make a commitment or get gone.
St. Joe's should stop to consider if rehabing that place they play isn't putting lipstick on a pig and seriously look at a new place or some other alternative.
Temple has to decide whether it's a football school or a basketball school. The Owls weren't a football school even when Bill Cosby tried to play there and that's was eons ago.
The one thing the A10 absolutely can not afford is more of the same Broomhilds kaka.:D

muskienick
06-02-2008, 07:28 AM
q,

I don't think many would argue your take on the state of the three Philly A-10 programs. But I do believe that we have to cut the new Commissioner some slack and give her the benefit of the doubt until she proves otherwise,

Admitedly, the powers that be in the A-10 don't have a great history of making good decisions on key issues. But we should consider two things:
1) Does anybody really think that the Conference would have hired a woman in the wake of Linda Bruno's 13 years if she wasn't the best candidate available?
2) Furthermore, we may now have a new power base in the A-10 Board of Directors that intends to strengthen the Conference's hold on the top spot among non-BCS Leagues and challenge annually for a place among the top six in RPI ranking. If the new minimum standards are tough and their implementation methods have teeth, we need not worry about who the new Commissioner is. The fact that she has a solid background in getting great TV contracts is a big plus. But unless the A-10 Board of Directors grows a set of hangy down things (yeah, I enjoyed Gary too!) and demands that all members of the A-10 comply to the new standards, not even the likes of Roone Arledge could sell that sow's ear to the networks!

Masterofreality
06-02-2008, 08:13 AM
"It's no secret that many folks within the A-10 weren't happy with the TV contracts that were put in place the last few years. McGlade participated on an eight-person NCAA TV Negotiating Committee that secured the largest TV contract for any sporting event ($6.2 billion) from both CBS and ESPN."


Well, well, well. After all the sh*** that I've gotten on this and other boards for loudly railing against this horriffic TV deal and for blaming Blutarsky for something that was clearly within her realm while others tried to deflect said blame, finally vindication.

Good riddance to Linda Blutarsky. Let's all hope that this lady has the stuff to move this league forward, and not just arrange conference calls.

Emp
06-02-2008, 10:57 AM
MOR, how many nanoseconds are you going to give McGlade to "fix" the TV contract?

Yes you have ranted for years, but you've never been able, to my admittedly infirm recollection, to say what Bruno should have achieved, but didn't, on the TV contract. ESPN? ABC?

I just genuinely disagree that A10 Basketball TV is this gold mine that everyone wants to carry but the commish has been botching. So now is your chance to define what should be achieved and the time within which it should be done. Vindication will only be proven by a significantly different result.... Have at it!

Masterofreality
06-02-2008, 02:13 PM
As far as the "nanoseconds" Emperor, I'd have to see what mess that Blutarsky is leaving the ship in. If there are lingering entanglements with CCCPCBSCSTV, obviously they cannot be broken overnight. But unless CBS is all of a sudden willing to make an A-10 game a regular Saturday or Sunday afternoon affair on the main network, AND if there is not some ironclad guarantee that CCCPCBSCSTV will be in a number certain millions of homes by a defined date or the contract can be cancelled or there be a significant payment made, I'd recommend the following:

A) The League return to the former main schedule of Thursday/Sunday games.
B) Negotiate a return to a regular Thursday night A-10 "Game of the Week" on ESPN or the Deuce as there used to be. ESPN went to a weak "Throwdown Thursday" game after the A-10 got in bed with CSTV. We could get that timeslot back either at 7:00pm or 9:00pm.
C). Along with the ESPN Thursday night deal, tie back in with a regular early Saturday afternoon ESPN time slot game for teams that DID NOT play on Thursday night and would not play that Sunday. Remember the noon time XU games with Dayton? You may not get an ESPN game every Saturday, but a few are better than none. The A-10 is way more attractive than games involving the Sun Belt Conference.
D). Re-establish a close tie with Fox Sports National and FSN-Ohio. FSN needs Sunday programming badly. They were showing a Pac-10 Womens doubleheader for Gawd's sake on Sunday afternoons last year. Nationally. By going back to the Thursday/Sunday schedule, you could probably get back on a good FSN Sunday schedule, at least in the eastern half of the US and maybe get a double-dip of games. You'd also help Xavier, your flagship program, re-affirm its tie with FSN-Ohio and have a better timeslot lever to get XU away from Cavs/Blue Jackets conflicts.
E). If one of the ESPN or FSN deals can't be done, or maybe if they can be, I would approach another network like Spike TV with good national coverage that appeals to men and try to get a regular game of the week going with them. Maybe you could dangle the League Tournament in Atlantic City as a carrot.

That is the start. At least you'd, first of all, be on networks that people would actually see; second, even on the FSN games, they would probably be picked up by ESPN Full Court in their package. CCCPCBSCSTV is so abhorrent to ESPN that none of those games are picked up by the Full Court package. Hell, even if people had to pay on a pay per view, they'd at least have a chance to SEE the games.

Allegedly, there was supposed to be more money coming in to the league by the farming out of the games to CCCPCBSCSTV because the league would no longer pay the production costs. Well, BS, because the schools wound up having to buy advertising spots on the games anyway, mostly nullifying any potential gain. Then, on top of that, no body in the country got to SEE games, causing untold damage to the league schools' recruiting and future performance.

When there is an entire weekend of quality league games, as there were a few times last year, and NONE of them can be seen in New York City on any station- cable or broadcast, large or small, you have a problem.

So, there is my plan. As the league gets stronger and more credible, the chances for more games would grow. The A-10 will never get a "Big Monday' kind of deal, but a regular rotation time slot on two networks is very possible- if it is negotiated correctly. As far as I'm concerned, screw CBS. They are so in bed with the Big, Big boys like the SEC and the Big 10 that there is little chance of ever getting anything set with them.

cinskyline
06-02-2008, 04:24 PM
Bobinski's comments:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080602/SPT0102/306020072

Masterofreality
06-03-2008, 08:25 AM
That is some screwed up deal. A network that no one can see has "approval rights" over a network that people can actually watch.

CCCPCBSCSTV has to "approve" FSN-Ohio's TV schedule, when FSN-Ohio is actually producing the games. Wow. That was some TV negotiation by the former Commissioneress. Good riddance.